Frequency-scanning burst-mode filtered Rayleigh scattering for kHz-rate, multi-parameter, gas-phase measurements

Molecular Rayleigh scattering (RS) is sensitive to the pressure, temperature, velocity, and number density of the gaseous flow. Filtered Rayleigh scattering (FRS) utilizes a narrowband molecular filter to remove stray scattering and deconvolve the effect of flow conditions on the signal intensity. As single-frequency, intensity-based FRS techniques can typically only deconvolve a single parameter per detector angle, frequency-scanning (FS) FRS has been used to semi-spectrally resolve the signal and quantify multiple parameters using a single detector. In this work, the FS-FRS data rate was increased by a factor of 10⁵ using a rapid wavelength-tunable burst-mode laser operated at 20 kHz. The technique is demonstrated for simultaneous, spatially resolved temperature, pressure, and radial velocity measurements time-averaged across 1 ms in an underexpanded jet, yielding a measurement rate of 1 kHz for potential use in high-speed flow test facilities.